Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Lama Takes Campaign To Canada

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    Dalai Lama meets Canadian MPs, discusses Tibet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama met 10 members of the Canadian parliament and discussed the issue of Tibet, a statement said Saturday. “They (the MPs) briefed His Holiness about their recent activities, including developments in the process of resettling 1,000 Tibetans from Arunachal Pradesh in Canada, of…

  • Headteachers set new leave rules

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    The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) in Engalnd unveiled guidance for on the situations in which pupils can be given time off during term time have been drawn up. A crackdown has seen a rise in fines for unauthorised absences, but parents have said the rules are confusing, BBC reported. The existing rules spark…

  • GALLERY: Tokyo Film Fest

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    This year marks the 27th edition of Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), the only Japanese film festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). TIFF started in 1985 as Japan’s first major film festival. Since then, TIFF has grown to become one of the biggest film festivals in Asia. TIFF seeks out…

  • A bachelor boy’s meteoric rise

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    By Jaideep Sarin    Just about three months ago, a low-profile political leader moved into a rented house, No.216, in New Prem Nagar locality of Haryana’s Karnal town, where he was hardly known. But the occupant of that house now has become the most important person in the state. Having taken oath as the 10th chief…

  • The Ambitions of a First Lady

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    Grace Mugabe, the first lady of Zimbabwe and always called as the Hillary Clinton of Africa, is aiming for presidency…writes Oliver Matthews  Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Grace Mugabe, has entered politics in the hope of succeeding her ailing 90-year-old husband, President Robert Mugabe, who after 35 years in power could be thinking about retiring. At age 49…

  • ISLAMIC NEW YEAR 1436AH

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    Islamic New Year 1436AH has now begun.  Islamic New Year is based on the lunar calendar. The Muslim calendar began when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his followers immigrated (Hijra) from Makkah to Madina to establish a new Islamic state based on the teachings of the Holy Qurân…

  • SRK magic wanes in the US, UK

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    Bollywood’s reigning King Shah Rukh Khan’s charisma failed to pull audience in the biggest Indian diaspora markets like the US, UK and Canada. Film portal Bollywood Hungama reported that “Happy New Year” earned just ?2.23 crore in USA and Canada, ?1.93 crore in UK, ?0.6 crore in Australia, ?0.1 crore in New Zealand and ?0.07…

  • PROMO: Telugu movie Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham

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    Chiranjeevi released the music of “Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham” in the presence of Ram Charan Teja and Allu Arjun.”Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham” is the second movie Chiranjeevi’s nephew Sai Dharam Tej, who made his acting debut through the movie Ray. Sai will be seen romancing Regina Cassandra, who is the lead actress in the film, which…

  • First BJP CM sworn-in Haryana

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    BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar was sworn-in as the chief minister of Haryana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior party leaders like L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi attended the ceremony. Khattar, 60, the first BJP chief minister of Haryana, took the oath in Hindi. Nine ministers, including six of cabinet rank and three ministers…

  • Pakistan plan ‘Black Day’ on Kashmir

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    Pakistan will not allow India to solve the Kashmir issue on it own way, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz said. “India wants to resolve the Kashmir dispute on its own way and Pakistan will not allow this Indian attempt to succeed,” The Nation quoted Aziz as saying…

  • INTERVIEW: Ira Singh

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    Ira Singh’s creations are riddled with nostalgia, metaphors In her debut novel, Ira Singh has deliberately picked up metaphors as motifs to narrate a coming-of-age story, set against the backdrop of partition and independence, and refrained from getting into details that led to these developments to narrate a story of a family. “It would have…

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Owl Festival of Varanasi

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    Owl Festival: A time to crack jokes in Varanasi…writes Mohit Dubey Hundreds of thousands of people in this Hindu holy city – and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency – in Uttar Pradesh are eagerly looking forward to Sunday, to a time for cracking jokes on anything under the sun and merry making, when the…

  • Egypt closes Rafah crossing

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      Egypt  shut down the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip following the deadly attack in Sinai, officials said. The Gaza-based corporation for crossings and borders said in an e-mailed press statement that Egyptian authorities have officially informed the Palestinian side about the closure of the main crossing for the coastal enclave, Xinhua reported.…

  • Sundar Pichai is Google’s new product chief

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      In a major restructuring of Google management, India-born Sundar Pichai, who is already in-charge of Android, Chrome and Google Apps, has been made the chief of core Google products, according to a technology magazine. The highly respected Pichai, 42, will now have purview over research, search, maps, Google+, commerce and ad products and infrastructure,…

  • India clears defence procurement from Israel

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    The defence ministry cleared big ticket defence deals worth Rs.80,000 crore which include Israel’s guided anti-tank missile Spike, sources said. Spike missiles were chosen instead of the US’ Javelin missiles, for which Washington had lobbied hard. India will be buying over 8,000 missiles worth Rs.32,000 crore. The decision was taken at a meeting of the…

  • Tharoor launches cleanliness drive

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    Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor  launched a cleanliness drive on Kovalam beach, personally collecting garbage in bags. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his efforts and also retweeted the pictures. Tharoor, who was sacked as spokesperson of the Congress party for tagging along with Modi’s Swachh Bharat campaign, said that Mahatma Gandhi’s sanitation drive was a…

  • Tribute to Sardar Patel

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    The central government has decided to observe the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ (National Unity Day) Oct 31 every year to pay tributes to the efforts made by Patel to unite India, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said. According to a union home ministry statement, a function to pay floral…

  • Modi talks healthcare

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  underlined the need to give importance to preventive health care with simple habits like washing hands among children to reduce the burden on the nation’s health care systems. Inaugurating the swank renovated Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in south Mumbai here, Modi said treating illness and convalescence were expensive but preventive…

  • Modi’s Diwali Milan in Delhi

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    It was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first formal outreach to the media after assuming office and it broke the ice when he met journalists, shook hands with them and smiled for selfies on Saturday. This happened after Modi was being blamed for keeping the media at arm’s length. Though journalists had to come an…

  • Indian Encounters in Scotland

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    National Museum of Scotland to showcase the works of the Singh Twins – Amrit & Rabindra Kaur Singh A new exhibition Indian Encounters will open at the National Museum of Scotland showcasing a newly commissioned painting Casualty of War, by renowned contemporary British artists The Singh Twins. Alongside the commission, beautifully crafted 19th century jewellery and…

  • Rajesh creations ‘Blue Blood’

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    Designer Rajesh Pratap Singh paid tribute to people in the denim industry through his collection titled “Blue Blood” at the ongoing spring-summer edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) here Friday. The collection brought forward Singh’s love for raw selvedge denim made with pure natural indigo. “Everyone owns a pair of jeans, but they…

  • IT’S THE FACE THAT COUNTS

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    DAILY DOSE BY BIKRAM VOHRA You must have heard of the RAF syndrome: it is known as Rent a Face. What happens here is that the owner of a company discovers this super-boss fellow who looks and plays the part and he is appointed at a salary that is more than the combined salaries of…

  • Bollywood celebrate Diwali fest

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    Priyanka Chopra For many years now, I have usually been working on most of the important festivals. But now, I have decided that I need to make time to celebrate life and what it’s given me. So this year, even though I will be shooting, I will take time out to spend Diwali with my…

  • Plight of Yazidis by Yaser Yunes

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    To escape IS jihadis, Yazidis hide on Mount Sinjar…writes Yaser Yunes from  Mosul, Iraq Recent inroads by militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Yazidi territory in Iraq have led 2,500 people to seek refuge on Mount Sinjar, which has become a safe haven for the minority Kurdish sect for the second time this year.…

  • SHOOT-OUT IN OTTAWA

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    Nina Grewal,  a Canadian politician of Indian origin in the Conservative Party, shares her experience of the dreadful day in the recent history of Canada When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was speaking at about 9.30 a.m. Wednesday in a caucus room of parliament, we heard a couple of shots. We were not alarmed as…

  • Modi Tames the Tiger

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    Modi’s success makes BJP a one-man party…Amulya Ganguli Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is taking its time to select its chief minister for Maharashtra, Narendra Modi is leaving his distinctive mark on political and other fields. In politics, the prime minister has brushed aside the earlier by-poll setbacks by his successes in Maharashtra…

  • Obesity damages liver

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    Shweta Sharma marks World Obesity Day – October 26 – with an informative article. Obesity a leading cause of liver damage  Little did 52-year-old Sheila Joshi (name changed), suffering from obesity-related uncontrolled diabetes know that her condition was leading to a damaged liver. Joshi is not the only one, say health experts, adding that Indians largely…

  • Cameron rejects EU £1.7 billion bill

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK will not pay £1.7bn being demanded by the European Union. “If people think I am paying that bill on 1 December, they have another think coming,” the prime minister said in Brussels, BBC reported. “It is not going to happen.” But Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the…

  • Tharoor launches cleanliness drive

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    Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor Saturday launched a cleanliness drive, asking “why cede Gandhiji’s sanitation drive to any party” even after losing the post of party spokesman for tagging along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Clean Indian Campaign. The Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member launched the drive at the Kovalam beach. “Before my actions today are…

  • Scottish Labour Leader Quits

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    Scottish Labour Party  leader Johann Lamont quit after accusing the party leadership of treating Scotland as a “branch office”, BBC reported.Ms Lamont’s deputy, Anas Sarwar MP, 3, will take over the leadership on a temporary basis. Anas is son of Punjab governor and former Labour politician Mohammed Sarwar. Labour’s tally of 41 Scottish MPs at risk from…

  • Abu Dhabi Film Festival kicks off

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    The 8th edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) began at the Emirates Palace here. The film festival, which started Thursday evening, will continue until Nov 1 with plans to screen 194 films from 61 countries, including nine feature-length world premieres. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ minister for culture, youth…

  • Gour Hari Dastaan – bio-pic with a difference

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    “Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File” is poet, novelist and journalist C. P. Surendran’s first shot as a screenplay writer. He says that the biopic is different because “it is biography of an unknown Indian”. In recent times, biopics on sports stars like Milkha Singh and Mary Kom rocked the box office. “Biopics are…

  • Desi Girl Goes Opera Way

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    The Rajah’s Son & Princess Labam, written and directed by Nishi Rajan,will open November 7th at the Medicine Show Theatre in New York City. The musical will run for 6-nights only Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm from November 7th through November 22nd The Off-Broadway Indian Musical ‘The Rajah’s Son & Princess Labam’ held a special preview…

  • REVIEW: Happy New Year…FLUFF!

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    Troy Ribeiro reviews SRK, Farah Khan’s new movie –  “Happy New Year” Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah and Jackie Shroff; Director: Farah Khan; Rating: *** Packed with humour and fluff, “Happy New Year” is a buoyant revenge saga that revolves around a predictable heist drama, where every character…

  • Advani is World billiards champion

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      Pankaj Advani, the 29-year old from Bangalore, set a record of sorts when he defeated Peter Gilchrist 6-2 in the final of the World billiards championship (points format), here. It was Advani’s 10th individual World title and his third of the year in different formats of the game, having won the World 6-Red Snooker…

  • GLOBAL MEDIA: An opportunity for India

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    Collapsing credibility of Western media will create an an opportunity for India…writes  Saeed Naqvi  Even the skeptics now agree that India shall be a power in the Asian century. To insure this rise to the top, India must maximize all its assets. One asset for which it has a reputation is a lively media, a function…

  • Why China delays border deal with India?

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    Ranjit Singh Kalha, a former Secretary, India’s Ministry of External Affairs, who has dealt with border negotiations with China and authored the recently published book, “India-China Boundary Issues: Quest for Settlement,” looks into the Indo-China border issues Recent transgressions by Chinese troops in the northern border areas of India and the protest note by the Chinese…

  • Film ‘Happy New Year’ gets bumper opening

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    Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Happy New Year” arrived Friday and it has been tagged as “fully masaledaar entertainer”, “blockbuster written all over it” and “visually appealing”. “Happy New Year”, which also stars Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah, had a “bumper opening”, says a trade analyst. Rajesh Thadani of…

  • Met Police undercover agent’s victim compensated

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    The London police department has paid 425,000 pounds in compensation to a woman who discovered that the man with whom she bore a child was actually an undercover police agent whose job was to spy on her activities, officials said. Scotland Yard, also known as the Met, apologised “unreservedly” for causing pain and suffering to…

  • France blitz ISIS targets

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      France’s Rafale fighter jets struck a training centre of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group overnight in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, the French army’s chief staff, General Peter de Villiers, said . As part of the coalition military offensive to halt the militants’ advance, French aircraft dropped 70 bombs, of which 12 were…

  • ‘Dead heart’ transplanted in Australia

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    Australian surgeons said  that they have made a major breakthrough by making a dead heart beat again and successfully using it in a transplant. Previously, surgeons relied on donor hearts from brain-dead patients whose hearts were still beating. But the director of Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital Heart Lung Transplant Unit, Peter MacDonald told a press…

  • Deed must match word

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    By C. Uday Bhaskar Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to the Siachen Glacier on the festive occasion of Diwali  to spend time with the Indian military units that are deployed at altitudes of 22,000 feet in what is often described as the highest battlefield in the world. From the base camp located…

  • Increase in union ministers assets

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    The assets of at least three union ministers have increased since they assumed office five months ago, a joint statement by the National Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms said Friday. The highest increase in assets in five months was shown by Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. “His assets have shown an increase of…

  • Contemporary Art In Pictures

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  • Google doodle salutes Mangalyaan

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    Google  celebrated one month of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), the Mangalyaan, by putting up a special doodle on its home page for India. The recently launched Mangalyaan by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has completed one month in the Martian Orbit. In its very first attempt, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission traversed over 650…

  • Chinese trick with boundary

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    By Ranjit Singh Kalha  Recent transgressions by Chinese troops in the northern border areas of India and the protest note by the Chinese foreign office on road building in Arunachal Pradesh have again highlighted the fact that the Sino-Indian boundary issue remains to be settled, despite negotiations for nearly half a century. There is no…

  • Strategy against ISIS working: Hagel

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    The US-led strategy to defeat the Islamic State (IS) is working, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday, but emphasised that the fight against the terrorist group will be a “complicated, difficult contest”. Talking to reporters at the Pentagon after meeting with South Korean Defence Minister Han Min-koo, Hagel said the administration has repeatedly made…

  • US State Department host Diwali celebrations

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      As Diwali becomes an important marker in the American festival calendar, Secretary of State John Kerry hosted Diwali celebrations at the State Department for the first time, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US provided an “unforgettable chance to build on the already deep ties between America and India.” “The prime…

  • India hold ground on objections to WTO

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    Even as the World Trade Organisation’s trade deal remained stalled due to India’s objections, an Indian envoy at the UN stood firm on them, declaring a “permanent solution on food security with necessary changes in World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, if required, is a must and cannot be kicked down the road”. Amit Narang, a…

  • Now Pope’s Tips to Tame Crime

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    Pope wants death, life terms to be abolished…. Pope Francis issued a call for all the countries to abolish capital punishment and also eliminate sentences for life imprisonment because “a lifetime in prison is a hidden death sentence”. At a Vatican meeting Thursday with representatives from International Association of Criminal Law, the Pope said that…